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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25593742">sunrise café</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryjoonie/pseuds/starryjoonie'>starryjoonie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>GOT7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Background Yugbam, Baristas, Brief Markjae, Co-workers, Explicit Language, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:27:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,541</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25593742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryjoonie/pseuds/starryjoonie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sunrise Café is the home of Jackson Wang, a pastry chef who gifts baked goods as a means of flirting. Youngjae dreams of receiving one from him. </p>
<p>in which Youngjae needs money so he takes a job as a barista, and gets a stupid crush on his pastry chef coworker Jackson, all the while having to deal with the eccentric team of people that work there.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Choi Youngjae/Jackson Wang, Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>109</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>sunrise café</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fair warning, I've never worked in a café so this may contain inaccuracies, but I tried my best lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Youngjae glances up at the decorative “Sunrise Cafe” sign on the front of the brick wall, in white cursive, and his hand shakes when it reaches the door handle. The pre-interview jitters have gotten the best of him, he decides, as he walks inside the empty cafe on noodley legs.</p>
<p>    One staff member appears to be wiping down the vacant tables. He glances up from his work. “Sorry, we’re closing,” he says simply before returning his attention to the task.</p>
<p>    “I’m here for an interview,” Youngjae tells him, voice wobbling. Maybe he read the time wrong in the email he’d been sent… maybe fate has doomed him and this isn’t where he’s meant to be at all. Panic’s rising within him in seconds.</p>
<p>    “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you were coming in today. I’ll go get Jaebeom,” he says, apologetically, as he steps away and disappears behind closed doors. </p>
<p>    So Youngjae is left, simmering in his own anxiety, as he shifts his weight from leg to leg in order to avoid falling over. He’s close to calling his brother to scream but he doesn’t have the opportunity to reach for his phone, because the doors are opening again and a man steps out, with a big, warm smile.</p>
<p>    “You must be Youngjae?” he asks, shaking his hand.</p>
<p>    “That’s me,” he confirms, trying to keep his voice steady.</p>
<p>    “I’m Im Jaebeom. As you know, I’m the owner, and I’ll be interviewing you today.” He gestures to sit down at one of the cleaned tables as the other employee finishes up and disappears again.</p>
<p>    Youngjae is very glad to sit. Finally, he can breathe.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom’s stack of papers he’s carrying is a bit alarming, but Youngjae tries not to pay attention to it, simply focusing on the fact that he<em> needs</em> this job and he has to try his best to look like the perfect employee Jaebeom could hire.</p>
<p>    He had scoured the Internet for vacant positions just two days ago, to the point where his eyes burned from looking at the computer screen too long. He applied to countless jobs, this being one of them. It was listed as a barista job that pays minimum wage and requires no experience, so really, it’s perfect. Sunrise Cafe was the only employer to call him back so quickly, so here he is, being interviewed by Jaebeom. </p>
<p>    Youngjae had done a fair amount of research, too, before his interview. He found that Jaebeom is actually very young and had dropped out of college to start this business. Sitting in front of Jaebeom, he can confirm that he is youthful-looking, complete with the fluffy-haired look and piercings on his ears and nose.</p>
<p>    “So what made you apply for this position?” Jaebeom starts off as he glances at Youngjae’s resume.</p>
<p>    “If I’m being honest, it’s because I need the money,” Youngjae starts off rambling. “I have a… bit of a financial crisis right now. But because of it I will be motivated to work very hard.”</p>
<p>    It is after the fact that Youngjae realizes that he shouldn’t have basically told Jaebeom he wants money, but there’s no sign of disapproval on Jaebeom’s face.</p>
<p>    In fact, he chuckles. “I’m glad you’re honest. Honesty will have you fitting right in with my other employees.” Youngjae has a feeling there’s a story behind those words. “And If I’m being honest myself, we’re desperate ourselves. The barista that had this position quit on short notice and we’ve been understaffed in the coffee section of the cafe, which is the most important… considering it’s a cafe.” He laughs again, the stress showing through. “So we’re not too picky when it comes to hiring. We need whoever can fill the empty spot as soon as possible.”</p>
<p>    “I can work as soon as you need me to,” Youngjae says enthusiastically. “Whatever hours, I can do it.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom glances up, amused. “You’re going to have a short training period. One of my experienced baristas can train you, and then we’d have to get you started on your own really quickly. Do you think you can do that?”</p>
<p>    “Yes.” His confirmation is confident. He can’t say he’s dealt with fast-paced work environments before, but Youngjae has learned to fake it till he makes it.</p>
<p>    “I’ll warn you, our team is…” Jaebeom deliberates over his word choice for a few moments, “eccentric.”</p>
<p>    “Oh, it’s fine, I can work with anyone,” Youngjae assures him with a smile. That part is true. He naturally gets along with people and it’s a blessing.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom studies his face for a few seconds, before glancing down at his papers. “Okay. I’ll give you the job. Arrive 15 minutes before 7AM so that we can show you around, and then you’ll start training with one of my baristas, okay?”</p>
<p>    And that’s it. Without much discussion of scheduling or payment, Youngjae walks out of the cafe with a job secured, and he feels very proud of himself. That was the shortest interview he’s ever had. He practically skips out the door on the way to his car and turns on his celebratory song as he drives home to his apartment.</p>
<p>    Waking up at such an early hour is not natural for Youngjae, but he manages it despite looking extremely groggy. He opens all his windows and lets the light in, reminding himself that he is, in fact, <em>employed</em>, and that today will be a good day. He’ll meet his new coworkers and make some coffee and it’ll be great.</p>
<p>    He keeps up that positive attitude as he shows up for his first shift to see some guy unconscious in a chair at one of the tables. Vague alarm rises in Youngjae as he squints to try and tell if the guy is breathing, before a loud voice coming from the kitchen startles him out of his stupor. “Bambam!”</p>
<p>    The guy, probably named Bambam if context clues say anything, jerks awake, and then squeals when Youngjae is the first thing he sees when he opens his eyes. “Who the f-”</p>
<p>    The kitchen doors slam open and the man who had been cleaning tables last night storms forward. “Bambam, get your ass in the kitchen. You start your shift in fifteen minutes,” he scolds.</p>
<p>    Then, the kitchen doors open <em>again</em> and Jaebeom follows him out. He spots Youngjae immediately, sighing. “I’m sorry this is your first impression of us,” he mutters. “Welcome to Sunrise Cafe.”</p>
<p>    “This is the new barista?” Bambam pipes up, suddenly wide awake.</p>
<p>    “Yes, this is Choi Youngjae. He’s our replacement for Jeonghan.” He pats Youngjae’s shoulder, smiling widely. “No more chaotic lunch shifts for us.”</p>
<p>    Bambam groans dramatically. “God, that was the worst, hearing Mark and Jinyoung yelling at each other all the way from the kitchen. Felt like I was on Hell’s Kitchen or something.”</p>
<p>    The other man drags Bambam out of his chair. “You can meet Youngjae later. You need to set up your work station.”</p>
<p>    They’re gone in a blink of an eye, and Youngjae can breathe again.</p>
<p>    “Like I said. Eccentric.” Jaebeom shakes his head, as if it to brush it off. “Anyway, this is the front of the cafe, where customers will eat. And over there is the counter where the cash register is, and all the coffee equipment. You’ll be trained in using the register and making coffee, since those are both duties of a barista.”</p>
<p>    “Okay.” Simple enough, Youngjae can comprehend things thus far.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom gestures for him to follow. “You won’t be back here often, but I may as well show you.” He leads Youngjae into the kitchen. </p>
<p>    It’s pretty chaotic, judging by the fact that there is someone running across the room with a pot full of water and splashing it as he goes, and another person launching what appears to be a bag of frosting at someone else’s head.</p>
<p>    “The one spilling water everywhere is Yugyeom. He’s our youngest employee, which is noticeable because he likes to make trouble with Bambam. They’re close friends and they make up our cooks. They handle preparation of sandwiches and soups and food like that,” Jaebeom explains, pointing to where Bambam is wiggling around the sink spout, as if trying to fix it (Jaebeom ignores it).</p>
<p>    “And then that’s Jinyoung, the one currently telling Bambam off. He’s one of the baristas.” He leaves the description at that, and quickly moves on.</p>
<p>    “Jackson is on <em>that</em> side of the kitchen. He’s our pastry chef and he makes everything you see in the display case. He’ll be very eager to meet you, but he’s busy right now.” Currently, Jackson is bent over his pastries, very precisely applying icing to them as if it’s the most important thing in the world.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom leads him back out of the kitchen. “This is your workspace, where you’ll be trained. Mark’s the one who will be training you, and he should be here any minute.” He glances at the clock on the wall, biting his lip.</p>
<p>    “Is that everyone that works here?” Youngjae asks curiously.</p>
<p>    “Yup. Everyone’s full-time here. It just becomes an issue when Jackson can’t come into work, since he’s currently our only pastry chef and I can’t bring myself to put another person in that goddamn kitchen,” Jaebeom replies with a big sigh. Owning a cafe must be tough. Especially for someone as young as Jaebeom.</p>
<p>    Suddenly, a man that by process of elimination has to be Mark walks in from the kitchen, having donned his apron. “Is this our new barista?” Mark asks with a bright smile, echoing Bambam’s words from earlier.</p>
<p>    “Yes. Choi Youngjae,” Jaebeom answers. “Get him trained with everything. Jinyoung will help cover things since you’ll be slowed down a little.”</p>
<p>    Mark raises an eyebrow as he wipes down the counter. “Really? Because he seemed pretty busy trying to coerce Bambam into actually doing his job. And I think he’s fixing one of the sinks right now, anyway.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom huffs, irritatedly as he turns back into the kitchen, leaving Mark with Youngjae.</p>
<p>    “Jaebeom and Jinyoung really don’t like each other,” Mark informs Youngjae. “You’ll definitely notice it at some point. The two are constantly arguing and they try to avoid each other as much as possible.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae frowns. “Isn’t Jaebeom the owner? Why would he hire him if he didn’t like him?”</p>
<p>    “He claims that Jinyoung had a lot of food service experience and that’s why he was accepted.” Mark laughs. “You’d think Jinyoung would’ve quit if he really hated Jaebeom that much. But he’s been working here for quite a while and does his job really well. Everyone here loves him. Except Jaebeom.” He changes the subject after a second. “You’ll get to know everyone eventually. For now, I’ll make sure you know how to use the cash register and make coffee.”</p>
<p>    So Mark gives him a crash course on all the different machines they have at the front counter, and then teaches him how the cash register works, all before they officially open and their first customer arrives.</p>
<p>    It’s a very perky lady that looks like she’d ask to see the manager if her drink was made even slightly poorly, so Youngjae’s nerves build up as he watches Mark take her order and then walk him through the process of making all the various different types of coffee drinks (Youngjae isn’t a coffee drinker so he really doesn’t know the difference between a latte and a cappuccino).</p>
<p>    Mark takes the finished drink out to her table. At the same time, Jinyoung returns, his apron looking a little wet, probably from the sink-fixing. “Hey Youngjae. Mark doing a good job teaching you?” he asks as he positions himself at the register.</p>
<p>    “He is. I’m learning a lot,” Youngjae agrees, lying through his teeth. He has no idea what’s going on, but that isn’t Mark’s fault.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung takes the next coffee order, and Mark suggests Youngjae makes it. He agrees, despite the several alarms going off in his brain. However, surprisingly, with a bit of coaching from Mark, Youngjae manages to get the machine to work and coffee is pouring into the cup. <em>Success.</em></p>
<p>    But it’s short-lived because the kitchen doors slam open, startling Youngjae and jerking splashes of coffee out of the cup, centimeters away from staining his sleeves and burning his skin.</p>
<p>    “Bam told me we’ve got a new barista!” </p>
<p>    Youngjae glances weakly in the direction of the new voice. It’s Jackson, the pastry chef, with a flour-covered apron (and hands), with the brightest expression on his face. Jinyoung’s giving him a dirty look.</p>
<p>    “Jackson, you startled him.”</p>
<p>    Jackson spots Youngjae immediately and runs over to introduce himself. “Sorry I surprised you. It’s just that we don’t get new people here very often because Jaebeom is stingy and all about keeping our team small and whatever.” His smile is really pretty, Youngjae notices, as he sets down Youngjae’s cup so they can shake hands. “I’m Jackson Wang. I’m Sunrise Cafe’s sole pastry chef. Bambam and I are also in charge of staff teamwork and cooperation.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung rolls his eyes. “That’s not an official position.”</p>
<p>    Jackson ignores him, instead, he looks at Youngjae expectantly.</p>
<p>    “I’m Choi Youngjae. I’m the new barista and I have no job experience so this is new for me,” he jokes in a self-deprecating way.</p>
<p>    “You’re doing great,” Jackson says, eying the half-full cup of coffee sitting abandoned on the counter. He looks back at Youngjae and his smile reaches his eyes. “You’ll be a perfect addition to our team. Better than Jeonghan, anyway. He and Jinyoung clashed too much… it was like watching a soap opera anytime you stepped in here. Anyway, you seem like a chill guy. Just what we needed.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae feels a little self-conscious at Jackson’s compliment and feels his palms heat up. “Thank you,” he says, profusely. Jackson’s confidence boost is well appreciated, considering Youngjae is nothing but a human body with anxiety at the moment. </p>
<p>    “You can talk to Youngjae later. Go bake cookies or whatever it is you do,” Jinyoung instructs before turning to a newly-appeared customer.</p>
<p>    Jackson pouts, glancing at Youngjae. “He’s my best friend and I love him but he’s really irritating sometimes. I have no idea how Jaebeom puts up with him.” </p>
<p>    At that, Jinyoung kicks him in the shin as he walks by. “Jaebeom needs me more than I need him. I could easily find a job somewhere else, but he knows very well that this place would crumble without me,” he says with satisfaction as he starts preparing another coffee. </p>
<p>    “Well I don’t know why-” Jackson’s statement is interrupted by Yugyeom peeking his head through the kitchen doors.</p>
<p>    “Jackson, your oven timer beeped.”</p>
<p>    He jumps, instantly alert. “Fucking shit-”</p>
<p>    “Language!” Jinyoung yells back as he fastens the top to a portable coffee cup. He calls out the customer’s name and looks back to Youngjae. “We try to keep things professional here but sometimes it’s impossible with the particular set of people Jaebeom chose to work in this cafe. No offense to you. I think he actually did well with you.”</p>
<p>    “Uh, thanks.”</p>
<p>    Mark appears at the counter after having sent some food out to a customer. “I’ll watch you make the next one, given it’s something I taught you how to do,” he suggests. His smile is bright and encouraging despite Youngjae’s inner voice panicking. “The quicker you learn everything, the easier it’ll get. I promise.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae finds that it’s hard to concentrate on making coffee when Mark is watching. Mark’s gaze isn’t critical, but still, he feels pressure from an experienced coffee-brewer. </p>
<p>    He also comes to the realization that his lack of any food-related skills doesn’t really help him out here. He remembers that Jaebeom hired him on the basis of need, not because Youngjae’s good at making coffee. But he’s here, and he’s got to do the job and do it decently, because he needs the money more than anything else.</p>
<p>    Around lunchtime, Jackson’s on his lunch break while the rest of them are running around trying to keep up with the rush of lunch. Conveniently, he’s decided to eat a sandwich behind the counter while chattering with Mark and Youngjae who nearly crash into him every time they turn around.</p>
<p>    “Youngjae, can you get more cups?” he requests, his voice a little airy from multitasking with a customer as he makes another drink.</p>
<p>    “Yes, but I don’t know where-”</p>
<p>    Jackson perks up. “Oh, I’ll show you.” He sets his sandwich aside and gestures for Youngjae to follow. “Come on, it’s in the back.”</p>
<p>    A little stunned by Jackson’s energy, he follows him through the kitchen. Yugyeom’s cooking something while Bambam’s putting a sandwich together. Yugyeom glances over. His eyes widen cheerily. “Hey! I’m Yugyeom.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae manages a high-pitched “Hi” before he has to pick up his pace to follow Jackson into a separate room in the building.</p>
<p>    Upon entering, he notices Jinyoung bent over and writing something down on a clipboard. </p>
<p>    “What are you doing?” Youngjae asks, curiosity getting the best of him.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung glances up. “Inventory.”</p>
<p>    “Shouldn’t Jaebeom do that?”</p>
<p>    He shrugs, standing up and brushing off his pants. “We share some responsibilities.”</p>
<p>    “Speaking of the devil, where is he?” Jackson asks as he scans the containers for the one he’s looking for.</p>
<p>    “He’s meeting with a supplier,” Jinyoung responds. He gives Youngjae a look, eyebrow raised. “Why are you back here? Shouldn’t you be helping Mark?”</p>
<p>    “I’m showing him where the cups are. No need to scold the newbie on his first day.” Jackson points to a box and hands Youngjae a stack of cups and lids. </p>
<p>    “Ah, thank you,” Youngjae says. Honestly, he’s grateful for Jackson’s enthusiasm to help. It makes him feel that much more comfortable here.</p>
<p>    Returning back to the counter, he feels a bit more at ease and confident as Mark gives him another coffee order to do.</p>
<p>    Maybe he <em>can</em> get away with living on this job. All he has to do is earn the money he needs and then he can quit. That’s all he needs.</p>
<p>    But he thinks the people will make his time here less painful than it could be. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>    Day two of the job and Youngjae feels far more emotionally prepared for what he’s getting himself into when he walks through the doors. Everyone greets him when he arrives, which makes him feel peppier. Yugyeom is chopping up vegetables at his station. Jackson has flour smudged on his cheek as he rolls out some dough. Everything looks fine in the kitchen, until he gets to the front of the cafe and he hears arguing voices.</p>
<p>    He spots them immediately. Jinyoung is standing beside one of the chairs and Jaebeom’s across from him with an iPad in hand. </p>
<p>    “We really don’t need to replace these chairs,” Jinyoung argues. “They’re perfectly fine. They’re as comfortable as cafe chairs get.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom huffs. “They look cheap, though. It doesn’t exactly make us look that nice in the eyes of our customers.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung’s hair is beginning to fall out of place, Youngjae notices. “This is a <em>cafe,</em> not fine dining.” He continues without taking a breath. “Do you really think we can afford buying new chairs right now? How is that going to fit into the budget?”</p>
<p>    “You can make it work, can’t you?”</p>
<p>    “I’m not a miracle-worker, Jaebeom. These chairs are fine. We’ll deal with them,” he announces, voice final as he stalks away with an aggravated look on his face. Meanwhile, Jaebeom is left staring at the chairs and rubbing his temples.</p>
<p>    After a second, Youngjae offers, “They don’t look that bad to me.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom glances up, not realizing that someone had been listening. He gives Youngjae a weak smile. “Thanks.” He sighs. “He gets so damn uptight.”</p>
<p>    “I think he wants the best for the cafe, too. Just in a different way,” Youngjae tells him gently. He hopes for a brief second that he might be able to mend the state of Jaebeom’s and Jinyoung’s “relationship” but it’s fruitless. Jaebeom hears him but he doesn’t seem to truly consider it.</p>
<p>    The next second, a man walks through the front doors. Youngjae glances at the clock, stunned. The cafe doesn’t open for another eight minutes. He’s prepared to launch into a “we’re not ready to serve you” lecture.</p>
<p>    But the man speaks first. “Can I go in?” he asks casually, gesturing toward the kitchen.</p>
<p>    <em>Who does he think he is?</em> Unless… “Do you work here?” Youngjae asks in confusion.</p>
<p>    He blinks. “Uh, no. Are you new or something?”</p>
<p>    “Yeah, I am. I started working yesterday.”</p>
<p>    “Oh. Well, I’m Yugyeom’s boyfriend. I stop by on every Tuesday and Thursday and the occasional Friday to say hi,” he explains.</p>
<p>    “Is that allowed?” Youngjae squeaks. He glances over at Jaebeom for help, who looks zoned out as he cleans a table. </p>
<p>    The man pats his shoulder as he walks past. “Everyone here knows me. It’s fine.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae anxiously follows the newcomer through the kitchen doors. He watches as Yugyeom’s eyes light up as he comes to greet his boyfriend with an embrace. “Good morning babe.”</p>
<p>    To Youngjae’s amusement, Bambam can be seen not far away, pretending to gag.</p>
<p>    “Are you still on for our date tonight?” the boyfriend asks, in a tone much too hushed for a work environment.</p>
<p>    “Yeah, of course. Your place, right?” </p>
<p>    “Right.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae nearly jumps when he hears Mark’s voice beside him. He realizes he’s standing in the doorway, so he jumps aside, embarrassed, but Mark just guides him closer by the arm. “That’s Chan. He’s Yugyeom’s boyfriend. He spends much more time here than he should for someone who never buys anything, but Jaebeom allows it, so he continues to come here,” Mark explains, his voice warm in Youngjae’s ear. “Don’t let him get on your nerves. He manages to irritate everyone, even Jackson. And he’s hard to piss off.”</p>
<p>    “Thanks for the warning,” Youngjae says weakly. Who knew taking this job would require tolerating your coworker’s relationships.</p>
<p>    “No problem. Come on, let’s get ready for your second day on the job.” Mark nudges him with his elbow, but it’s a gentle touch. </p>
<p>    Youngjae feels very glad that Mark is the one mentoring him. He’s nice. And pretty.</p>
<p>    Today’s breakfast rush includes a swarm of college-aged girls who loiter at the counter, trying to strike up conversation with Mark by trying to find something to compliment him on (it’s not hard). Mark keeps up the smile and the small-talk but his enthusiasm doesn’t quite match theirs.</p>
<p>    Jackson, who had wandered into the front, fills Youngjae in. “Mark has what you might call a fanclub. These girls come here for coffee whenever they can, in between their classes, just to try and flirt with him. It’s an entertaining form of comedy, really, if you eavesdrop on the pickup lines they come up with.”</p>
<p>    “Does he reciprocate?” Youngjae asks, watching as one of the girls gives Mark heart-eyes as he brings their coffee order and meal to their table. “I mean, he’s got plenty of girls interested in him.”</p>
<p>    “Mark may be a flirt, but he’s also gay,” Jackson tells him succintly. “Those girls don’t have a chance in hell.”</p>
<p>    “Oh.”</p>
<p>    “Jinyoung has a few of his own fangirls, too. Can’t say they have a chance, either… But yeah, our baristas are really popular.” Jackson winks at him. “Maybe you’ll have some admirers after a couple weeks, too.”</p>
<p>    <em>I’ll be out of here in a couple weeks,</em> Youngjae reminds himself. Even then, he’s doubtful. “Mark and Jinyoung are practically models. I can’t visually match them.”</p>
<p>    Jackson gives him an offended look. “You really underestimate yourself, Youngjae.” It’s all he says, but Youngjae can’t help but smile a little in return.</p>
<p>    Their brief conversation is cut short by Jinyoung appearing in the doorway. “Jackson, Jaebeom’s ready for you to pitch him the new pastry idea.” </p>
<p>    Excitedly, Jackson runs into the kitchen, almost tripping in the process. Youngjae chuckles at the intense enthusiasm.</p>
<p>    The second day goes by quicker than the first day, but he feels like he can enjoy it much more. There’s a slow period in which there’s just a few people sitting down in the cafe and most of the staff are doing other work such as cleaning.</p>
<p>    Mark is wiping down the table while Youngjae cleans the floor on the other side of the counter. He’s content to listen to the music and talk to Mark during this slow period.</p>
<p>    More than a couple times, Youngjae catches Mark looking at him, with a rather affectionate smile. To be honest, Youngjae can’t tell if it’s flirtatious or not because he’s busy malfunctioning at the thought of that.</p>
<p>    “It’s nice to have another person to talk to up here,” Mark says after a while. “Jinyoung’s nice but he’s busy and he’s always running around doing something. I’m glad Jaebeom hired another person to keep me company.”</p>
<p>    He laughs. “I’m glad I can fill that role, even I’m horrible at making coffee.”</p>
<p>    “You’re not <em>horrible.</em> You just need more practice.”</p>
<p>    “Whatever you say.”</p>
<p>    For the next busy portion of the day, Mark and Jinyoung are on coffee and Youngjae’s mostly taking food to tables. Meaning now, he has a lot of more opportunities for conversation with Yugyeom and Bambam.</p>
<p>    “Are you enjoying it here?” Yugyeom teases as he plates someone’s sandwich.</p>
<p>    “Of course. It makes my day more interesting.”</p>
<p>    “I’m glad. We’re all pretty close. But Mark’s the only one that’s really gotten to talk to you, huh?” he continues thoughtfully. “Is he a good trainer?”</p>
<p>    Youngjae nods right away. “Yes, he is. He’s really forgiving… I met his fanclub today.”</p>
<p>    Bambam snorts. “God, they’re a nightmare to cook for. They arrive all at once and complain that their food takes forever to make.”</p>
<p>    “Mark hyung is very admirable for the amount of customers he brings here. Jaebeom has estimated that the college girls probably make up around 20% of our daily sales,” Yugyeom informs him. “He’s a pretty charismatic guy. Everything a manager could want in a barista. He’s good at making coffee and he’s really fucking pretty.”</p>
<p>    “Yeah. Everyone here has had a crush on him at some point,” Bambam adds.</p>
<p>    “Everyone?” Youngjae repeats, even though he’s not that surprised.</p>
<p>    Yugyeom nods, laughing. “Yup, everyone. It’s not long before you’ll be the victim of his charms.”</p>
<p>    “Give him a break with the gossip!” Jackson yells out from where he’s got the electric mixer on at the fastest (and loudest) speed possible. </p>
<p>    Yugyeom rolls his eyes. “The gossip is the best part about working here, honestly. You’ll here more of it in the next week, I promise you.” He hands Youngjae the plate. “This goes to table one.”</p>
<p>    With the knowledge that the entire staff at Sunrise Cafe has had a crush on Mark, it makes Youngjae understand Mark’s flirtations. They continue over the next couple day as subtle touches and small compliments. </p>
<p>    He walks into work one morning, expecting some kind of eager greeting, or a “how was your weekend” kind of thing. But all he gets from Mark is just a polite hello. </p>
<p>    Maybe he’s just tired, Youngjae thinks, but no, that’s how the rest of his shift turns out. Mark’s back to a friendly politeness. Maybe Jaebeom reprimanded him or something, or maybe Youngjae was just overthinking his flirting in the first place. </p>
<p>    In the middle of preparing a coffee, he hears a shout from the kitchen. Alarmed, he abandons the cup and pushes through the double doors. </p>
<p>    Yugyeom is bracing himself against a counter after having fallen over, looking stunned while Bambam is laughing his ass off in the corner of the room. Jinyoung and Jaebeom appear from the supply room, equally startled. </p>
<p>    “What happened?” Jinyoung demands.</p>
<p>    Jackson, who can’t contain his laughter in the slightest, manages to step in for Bambam who can’t talk. “Bam put a banana peel on the ground to see if anyone actually slips on them and Yugyeom was the victim.”</p>
<p>    Bambam and Yugyeom are both incapacitated by laughter while Jaebeom lets out an amused sigh. “I’m going to fire you two one day, I swear to god.”</p>
<p>    “That’s an empty threat, Jaebeom,” Jackson reminds him.</p>
<p>    “They’re always fucking around and I have every reason to fire them,” Jaebeom counters. “But they’re lucky I need them here.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung rolls his eyes. “Of course it’s because you need them, not because they’re kids who need jobs.”</p>
<p>    “Jinyoung-” Jaebeom begins irritatedly.</p>
<p>    “Maybe if you weren’t so full of yourself you could see that they’re actually some of our most talented workers,” Jinyoung informs him in a cold, thin voice. Evidently he’s not in the mood for jokes today. He turns on his heel, ignoring the laughing boys and the banana peel, and heads back to the coffee counter.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom’s lips are pressed thin. He glances at Bambam. “Clean up the peel, please,” he says, before disappearing again.</p>
<p>    Youngjae seeks out Jinyoung, who is cleaning one of the tables. He sits down in the chair opposite him to help. “Bambam is definitely a lively employee,” Youngjae mentions.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung offers a laugh. “Yeah. I guess that’s true of everyone here. It just irks me when Jaebeom makes comments like that, as if everyone here isn’t what gives the cafe its personality. He jokes about firing them but I find it a little insensitive.”</p>
<p>    “I don’t know if he meant it that way. He seems to be fond of those two,” Youngjae says.</p>
<p>    He shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m over it. Today’s been an especially long day. Something went wrong with inventory and Jackson’s short on some things, so Jaebeom’s been very high-strung today.”</p>
<p>    “That’s unfortunate.”</p>
<p>    “Yeah.” He finishes wiping down the table with one more sweep of the cloth. “Jackson’s pretty adaptable to it, though… he’s started doing a lot of extra baking so that he can get new things on the menu.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae smiles when he remembers how excited he’d been to show Jaebeom a new pastry. “I’m sure that’s fun for him.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung nods. “Baking truly is Jackson’s passion. It’s in every part of his life. He even makes pastries for other people as his method of flirtation. If Jackson bakes something for you, then you know he’s interested.”</p>
<p>    “Has he done that before?” Youngjae asks, laughing at the thought of him presenting a cupcake like a wedding ring.</p>
<p>    “Yeah, he baked Mark a croissant a couple days after joining the team. He had a small crush back then. Mark turned him down, obviously. But it’s become a running joke with the rest of us. He even made Jaebeom one as a prank and Jaebeom got really flustered and frustrated and it was actually very hilarious.”</p>
<p>    He’s not going to lie, Youngjae is endeared by this quirk of Jackson’s. It’s cute that he goes through the process of baking something for someone he likes. </p>
<p>    Jinyoung stands up again and gives Youngjae a parting smile. “You’ll learn something new about your coworkers every day. Trust me.” With that, he heads back to the coffee counter to prepare another order.</p>
<p>    Youngjae thinks for a moment that perhaps taking this job offer gave him a little more than he expected.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    Walking into work one day, he finds Jinyoung lugging some thin boxes into the supply room from outside.</p>
<p>    “What’s that?” Youngjae asks as he takes his apron off a hook to put it on.</p>
<p>    “Jaebeom’s new chairs.” He smiles thinly. “I’ll be staying late to help put them together.”</p>
<p>    He laughs a little. “So you agreed to buy them, in the end?”</p>
<p>    “Only because one of the customers actually made a complaint about it a few days ago on our Yelp page, but I’m convinced Jaebeom probably wrote that review himself to convince me,” Jinyoung tells him.</p>
<p>    “Ah, of course,” Youngjae says, giggling as he leaves the room. Those two find every reason to be at odds with each other. At this point, it’s kind of amusing.</p>
<p>    He hasn’t even made it out of the kitchen before Bambam walks in with a coffee and tired eyes. He’s stuck to his routine of being very close to being late for work.</p>
<p>    “Bambam! You can’t just buy our competitors’ coffee!” Jinyoung scolds. “Especially from 514 Cafe. They’re literally across the street.”</p>
<p>    “They’re open really early though,” Bambam whines in defense. “If I wanted coffee from <em>here</em>, I’d have to<em> wait</em> for us to open.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung sighs. “Patience is a virtue. In any case, don’t buy any other coffee. Please.”</p>
<p>    To add to the situation, Chan walks in seconds later and instantly goes to embracing Yugyeom. Bambam looks even more tired, rolling his eyes as Chan places kisses on Yugyeom’s face.</p>
<p>    “Not in the kitchen, please,” Jinyoung mutters as he walks off to bring in more boxes of chair.</p>
<p>    Yugyeom just giggles as he basks in his boyfriend’s affection, his cheeks pink as ever. Meanwhile, Bambam begins preparing ingredients out of frustration, his knife slamming against the cutting board with more force than necessary.</p>
<p>    <em>Hm.</em> As Youngjae begins making coffee for the day, he wonders if Bambam’s repulsion toward the relationship is simply annoyance, or something more than that. But he supposes it isn’t his business.</p>
<p>    His shift that day has a lot more visits from Jackson. He’ll come over requesting a sample of coffee and Youngjae will make it for him while Mark simply rolls his eyes and makes the actual orders. At one point, he comes over to restock the display case next to the counter.</p>
<p>    “So what you brought you here?” Jackson asks Youngjae conversationally. “To this job in the humble Sunrise Cafe~”</p>
<p>    “I needed the money,” he admits as he hands Mark a customer’s cup of coffee. “This was the first job I applied to that called me back. So here I am. I really don’t have a passion for making coffee or anything.”</p>
<p>    “Hey, that’s valid. You might even find out you love it now that you’re here. Life’s like that sometimes. It brings you somewhere for one purpose and you end up with another.” Jackson’s smile is radiant. “I’m lucky that I always knew this is what I wanted to do. I didn’t know I’d end up working here, though. But I’m really glad I did.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae blinks. “Do you think you’ll ever leave?”</p>
<p>    “Mm, I’ll probably move on eventually. Right now, I’m satisfied. It pays the bills and the rent for my apartment, so I’m okay,” Jackson says cheerfully. He places the remaining pastry in the display case expertly before stepping back to admire his work.</p>
<p>    “Looks pretty,” Youngjae teases. </p>
<p>    Jackson beams. “Thank you! It’s an art.” He looks at Youngjae for a few seconds more before his gaze wanders off. “I better get back to work before Jinyoung scolds me again.” He gives Youngjae a bright smile before disappearing behind the kitchen doors.</p>
<p>    The day is a long one, even with Jackson’s visits. He’s tired by the time comes to close, and he finds himself dozing off as he goes through the motions. Mark, Yugyeom, and Bambam manage to leave before he does, so it takes him a while longer to finish things up.</p>
<p>    As he finishes wiping down the counter, he notices Jaebeom and Jinyoung who have started to unbox the chair parts and put them together, the both of them sitting on the floor.</p>
<p>    “There’s no instructions. It’s just pictures,” Jaebeom complains. “I don’t know what this means.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung rolls his eyes, taking the instructions out of Jaebeom’s hands. “What, do they have to spell it out for you? It’s just a chair.” He scans it over himself. “You’d think someone who owns a bakery could figure out how to put a chair together.”</p>
<p>    “Those two things are not the same,” Jaebeom mumbles under his breath.</p>
<p>    “Evidently, since you need my help with <em>both</em> of those things.” Jinyoung’s words hold some kind of perplexing, charged tension in them. It’s like everything they say is said with the purpose of getting on each other’s nerves.</p>
<p>    As Youngjae passes through the kitchen, he sees that Jackson’s finishing putting away clean dishes and wanders over to him. “So what’s their deal?” Youngjae asks, jerking his thumb in the direction of the storefront.</p>
<p>    “Ah, Jaebeom and Jinyoung? No one really knows. Most of us think they’re actually in love with each other and are in denial,” Jackson informs him, shoving a stack of plates into a cabinet. “They have so many petty arguments that don’t actually mean anything, so it’s not like they genuinely hate each other.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae nods. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that. They fight over the smallest things.”</p>
<p>    “Yugyeom is an adamant believer in the conspiracy theory that they’ve got feelings and don’t know how to deal with them.” Jackson shrugs. “Maybe Jaebeom thinks crushing on an employee is unprofessional, but it’s not like the guy is the pinnacle of professionality, considering he has multiple piercings and lets his cooks fuck around in the kitchen during their shifts. Personally I believe they’re emotionally constipated.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae laughs at the thought of the two avoiding each other over a crush. It’s not that hard to believe, really. “Hmm, maybe.” He pauses. “Are there any other coworker romances I should be aware of?”</p>
<p>    “Oh, yes. Bambam and Yugyeom. I’m pretty sure Bambam likes Yugyeom and that’s why he gets all cranky whenever Yugyeom’s boyfriend shows up. Or it could just be because Chan is annoying, which is also a valid reason. But being in the kitchen with them all day, I’ve picked up on some of their conversations. They’re pretty whipped for each other. It’s kind of cute,” Jackson describes. “Maybe I should bring this up with Jaebeom so we can finally get a restraining order on Chan so he can’t step foot in here again.”</p>
<p>    “Good luck with that,” Youngjae jokes. “I’m sure <em>relationship drama</em> is a good enough reason to ban someone from a coffee establishment.”</p>
<p>    “You never know with Jaebeom.” Jackson follows Youngjae back to hang up their aprons and get their stuff. “Do you live close by? Need a ride?”</p>
<p>    He’s stunned for a moment by Jackson’s generosity, but he shakes his head. “It’s okay, I drove here. But thank you.”</p>
<p>    “Yeah, of course. I’ll see you tomorrow, Youngjae!” Jackson says, waving as he leaves the cafe.</p>
<p>    Youngjae watches the door close behind him. His cheeks heat up for a moment and he has no clue why. But he tries to stifle the growing, fluttery feeling in his stomach that he’d rather not deal with right now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    “Would you ever date a coworker?” Mark asks out of the blue one morning.</p>
<p>    The question makes Youngjae nearly jump out his skin. Is Mark asking because he wants to date? Because Youngjae has already gotten over his temporary crush and the timing of this would be awful. “Um, it depends, I guess.”</p>
<p>    “On what?”</p>
<p>    “How strict management is. How much I like the person,” Youngjae offers after considering it for a few moments.</p>
<p>    Mark snorts. “Yeah, we’ve got the strictest management <em>ever</em> here.”</p>
<p>    “Why are you asking?”</p>
<p>    “For science. Mostly because Yugyeom wants an inventory on the relationship status of the new member of our team.” Mark gives him a pat on the back. “You’re one of us, now, and you’re officially apart of gossip.”</p>
<p>    “Lovely.”</p>
<p>    “You’re single, right?”</p>
<p>    Youngjae laughs weakly. “Is it that obvious?”</p>
<p>    In seconds, Mark is apologizing profusely. “God, I didn’t mean it like that. I swear I-”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung interrupts the sentence with his own arrival. “Mark, please, try not to offend Youngjae. He deserves it the least of all of us.”</p>
<p>    “You say that like there are people here who I’m allowed to mock.”</p>
<p>    “Exactly. I’d pay you five bucks to tell Jaebeom that the new wall decorations are ugly,” Jinyoung says bluntly, gesturing to the fake paintings of anatomically incorrect Renaissance era cats.</p>
<p>    Mark cringes. “I wouldn’t do that for a hundred dollars.”</p>
<p>    At that moment, a woman walks up with her coffee cup and quite literally slams it on the table. “My coffee has been made incorrectly,” she announces.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung blinks, putting on a customer service smile. “I’m sorry, but I made it exactly how you ordered on your receipt. Is anything on your receipt incorrect?”</p>
<p>    “No, my coffee is far too bitter.”</p>
<p>    “That’s how your coffee is supposed to taste when you order it this way,” Jinyoung explains. Youngjae can tell he’s beginning to lose patience. </p>
<p>    She shakes her head. “I’d like to speak to the manager about your incompetence in preparing my drink and your customer service.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung’s lips tighten and he glances at Youngjae. “Go get Jaebeom, please.”</p>
<p>    Nervously, Youngjae ducks past the kitchen to Jaebeom’s mini office room. He’s currently bent over a desk, typing on his laptop. “Um, Jaebeom?”</p>
<p>    “Yes?” he asks without looking up.</p>
<p>    “There’s a customer that wants to speak to you.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom groans, closing his eyes. “Can’t Jinyoung deal with it?”</p>
<p>    “The complaint is <em>about</em> Jinyoung.”</p>
<p>    His eyebrows furrow before he opens his eyes again and stands up. “Alright, let’s get this over with,” he mutters.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom arrives at the scene and the woman immediately zeroes in on him. “Hello, you must be the manager.”</p>
<p>    “That’s me.”</p>
<p>    “Your barista prepared my drink incorrectly and neglected to offer me another free of charge,” she reports, showing him the offending cup.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom glances at Jinyoung, who looks irritated as ever, with his arms crossed, and then glances back at the woman. “My baristas are very reliable at their job. I’m sure he made it how you ordered. It’s not his fault if you didn’t like the kind of drink he made you.”</p>
<p>    She huffs. “I was recommended this drink by a friend and she did not mention it being bitter.”</p>
<p>    “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you,” Jaebeom says bluntly.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom’s complacency angers her even more, because she launches into a rant about customer service. “I’ll leave your establishment a one star rating and no one associated with me will ever be coming back here again! Because I’ll warn them that the staff is<em> lazy</em> and incompetent!”</p>
<p>    A fire ignites in Jinyoung’s eyes while Jaebeom, stressed, tries to calm her down. “I’m not going to-”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung places a hand on his arm, hushing him. He gives the woman a forced smile. “Actually, I’ll fix your drink. Please take a seat, I’ll bring it to you in a moment.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom’s expression changes to that of surprise as the woman seems to be satiated by this. She sticks her nose in the air and returns to her seat. </p>
<p>    “Jinyoung, you don’t have to give them what they want,” Jaebeom says, gawking as Jinyoung gets another cup out.</p>
<p>    Silently, Jinyoung pours most of the drink into the second cup and fills the rest with milk. As he places the new lid on it, Jaebeom’s mouth opens and closes, as if he’s trying to find words.</p>
<p>    “They wanted a bitter fucking latte,” Jinyoung seethes between gritted teeth. He hands the cup to Mark. “Take it to her, please.”</p>
<p>    Mark’s eyebrows are raised as he delivers the new product, and the woman seems marginally satisfied. </p>
<p>    “Damn,” Jaebeom says as he watches, as if expecting another complaint that never comes.</p>
<p>    “She thinks she knows everything about coffee and that it’ll taste like a normal latte when you demand so many alterations,” Jinyoung mumbles, his arms still crossed.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom glances at Jinyoung, a sly smirk on his face. “Good job.”</p>
<p>    This breaks Jinyoung from his stupor, his lips forming an “o” as he looks back at Jaebeom, who’s already disappearing into the kitchen. Guess he hadn’t expected a compliment from Jaebeom today, judging by the pinkness of his cheeks. </p>
<p>    “You’re truly the best problem-solver here,” Mark says when he returns to the counter. “She would’ve never guessed it’s the same drink but with a less bitter coffee ratio.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung lets himself smile a little as he attends to the next customer, the smile remaining as he takes her order.</p>
<p>    A lot of days pass like these, ones in which the stress of the job gets to Youngjae’s head. Small mistakes are often the culprit and can ruin a perfectly focused, calm mood. </p>
<p>    One of those times he ends up crying in the bathroom and trying not to look at himself in the mirror. Really, all he needs is to earn the money. That’s the only thing he needs right now. Maybe he could just walk out. Tell Jaebeom he’s quitting and then work another few weeks somewhere else to make up for the last bit of the money…</p>
<p>    The door swings open and Jinyoung peers in with eyebrows furrowed out of concern. “Youngjae?” His frown deepens upon seeing his tears. “Is something wrong?”</p>
<p>    He shakes his head at first. It’s not like he needs to make his emotions transparent. But he can’t help but feel like he’s lying to Jinyoung anyway, since he’s sobbing in a bathroom. That hardly means a person is free of problems.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung takes a couple steps forward, offering him some napkins from the pocket of his apron. “Is this because you mixed up the two drinks earlier?” he asks.</p>
<p>    Youngjae nods as he wipes at his cheeks with the napkin. He takes a few deep breaths and tries to steady himself. “I just…” He can hardly breathe to finish his sentence. But Jinyoung fills the silence.</p>
<p>    “It’s okay. I know that’s the answer you’re expecting from me, but it really is okay. The problem was solved quickly and it was a human mistake. I’ve been in the food industry for a long time and I still make mistakes like these, too,” Jinyoung tells him, giving him a few pats on the shoulder. “You shouldn’t stress out too much. You’ll learn to brush off the tiny things like that.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae glances at him through his glossy eyes. “I’m not good at this.”</p>
<p>    “At what?”</p>
<p>    “At this job.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung frowns. “You’re perfectly good at this job. You don’t need to be some artisan coffee brewer to be good at your job.”</p>
<p>    His gaze falls to the tile of the bathroom floor. He’s reminded, again, of why he’s here. “Do you think I’m needed here? At this cafe?”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung blinks, dumbfounded. “What kind of question is that? Of course you’re needed. Jaebeom wouldn’t have hired you otherwise. There was a spot for you in the cafe and you filled it. Youngjae, is something wrong?”</p>
<p>    “Please don’t tell anyone about this. Especially not Jaebeom,” Youngjae pleads, “but I only took this job because I needed the money to pay for my father’s hospital bills. I was planning on quitting once I had the money.”</p>
<p>    The silence, at first, is jarring. Then comes the “Oh.” Jinyoung bites his lip. “I’m sorry about your father… I didn’t know.”</p>
<p>    “I didn’t want to tell anyone. Especially when I had become such good friends with everyone. They wouldn’t spend so much time getting to know me if they knew I’d be gone in a couple weeks,” Youngjae confesses. He looks back at Jinyoung. “Please don’t tell anyone.”</p>
<p>    “I won’t,” he promises. “But… but I’m sorry to hear you won’t be staying very long.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae reaches forward and hugs Jinyoung. “Jaebeom did well in hiring you, you know? You always know what to say.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung just smiles at that. “If you need anything, you can come to me, then. Even after you’ve left.”</p>
<p>    This makes Youngjae feel a little better. That even by leaving this job he’s considered such a safe place, his friends will still want to keep in contact.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    One afternoon at the cafe, Youngjae walks out of the kitchen to see Jinyoung standing on a spinning desk chair, arms reaching up to screw in a lightbulb, while Jaebeom stands at the bottom holding the chair in place.</p>
<p>    “Stop moving so much,” Jaebeom complains with a firm grip on the chair’s handles.</p>
<p>    “Well then <em>you </em>get up here and change the lightbulb.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae laughs lightly. “Does this establishment not own a ladder?”</p>
<p>    A dry look passes over Jaebeom’s face. “No, and none of the regular chairs are high enough for either of us to reach the ceiling… I think a ladder should be next on the investment list.”</p>
<p>    “Jackson needs a better electric mixer,” Jinyoung reminds him as he reaches over to hand Jaebeom the lightbulb. “The one he has shorts out randomly.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom sighs. “Right. That’s high priority.”</p>
<p>    “And the dishwasher needs a new part, but I already calculated that and it fits into the budget. I think it arrives on Friday,” Jinyoung continues, as if going through a mental list. He steps down from the chair and nearly loses his balance, but he catches himself by gripping Jaebeom’s shoulder. “Sorry.” A light blush falls over his cheeks.</p>
<p>    “Don’t go twisting any ankles on the cafe grounds,” Jaebeom jokes as he makes sure Jinyoung is balanced before pushing the desk chair in the direction of the kitchen. “You could sue me.”</p>
<p>    “I’d win the case after the lawyers hear it’s because the owner couldn’t afford a ladder,” he teases back as he walks in step with him, back into the kitchen where Youngjae can no longer hear.</p>
<p>    <em>Maybe Jackson and Yugyeom were right about them,</em> he thinks in amusement. He also thinks about how this is the first time he’s seen them being so lighthearted with each other. That’s definitely progress.</p>
<p>    While he and Mark work in quiet conversation at the counter, Youngjae suddenly asks, “Have you ever had feelings for anyone here?”</p>
<p>    He becomes startled and the whipped cream dispenser falls out of his hand and comically to the floor. As he hastens to pick it up, he says, “Um, yeah, I guess.”</p>
<p>    “Oh, really? Who?” Youngjae grins, knowing he has Mark backed into a corner. Part of him is curious to know if those fleeting three days of flirtation were anything or if it was his imagination. The other, quieter part of him wants to ensure that there aren’t any feelings between the people here that he isn’t aware of.</p>
<p>    “Classified.” He finishes the whipped cream and slides the drink to Jinyoung, who already has the rest of the order ready to go and takes it to the customer.</p>
<p>    Youngjae pouts. “You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone else. I know gossip goes around quickly here.”</p>
<p>    Mark gives Youngjae a glance with a raised eyebrow. “Do <em>you</em> have feelings?”</p>
<p>    That shuts him down immediately, and he turns his attention back to the drink he’s making and blocks out the thoughts of a certain staff member of this establishment.</p>
<p>    “What’s got Youngjae so flustered?” Jinyoung inquires when he returns. </p>
<p>    “We’re discussing romance,” Mark replies, grinning.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung tries not to look interested in the topic, but his tone of voice says otherwise. “Oh?”</p>
<p>    “He asked me if I’ve ever liked anyone here. I refused to tell him and he refuses to tell me his answer.” Mark directs his look at Jinyoung. “What about you?”</p>
<p>    He puts on a disgusted face as his nose screws up. “Of course not. You all are a bunch of idiots. I don’t have it in myself to have romantic feelings for anyone here.”</p>
<p>    Conveniently, Jaebeom shows up, already sporting a huge grin. He leans his elbows on the counter, glancing at the three of them. “How are my baristas doing?”</p>
<p>    “Someone’s in a good mood today,” Mark comments.</p>
<p>    “Yeah, well, we got three more positive reviews on Yelp yesterday praising the coffee and our new decorations,” Jaebeom says gleefully, gesturing to the medieval cat paintings.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung gives the paintings a dry look. “Can’t say they’ve got the greatest aesthetic taste.”</p>
<p>    “Take a compliment, Jinyoung,” Mark mutters. “Your coffee skills were praised, too.”</p>
<p>    “I fucking hope so.” </p>
<p>    Miraculously, Jaebeom laughs, and Youngjae can’t help but give him a weird look. He, quite literally, has never seen Jaebeom in such a good mood. Especially not in Jinyoung’s presence. </p>
<p>    He’s jolted by someone tugging on his arm and pulling him behind the doors of the kitchen. Youngjae finds himself breathless, faces inches apart from Jackson, and his heart skips several beats at the sudden situation he wasn’t prepared for. </p>
<p>    “Sorry for startling you,” Jackson apologizes quickly, upon noticing Youngjae’s wide eyes. He takes an obligatory step backward. </p>
<p>    “We saw what happened at the counter,” Yugyeom adds. He and Bambam are standing nearby and clearly not working. Apparently, Jackson dragged him in here for an emergency meeting.</p>
<p>    “What are you referring to?” Youngjae hopes they don’t mean to quiz him on his romantic feelings because that’s something he certainly can’t endure in front of Jackson.</p>
<p>    “Jaebeom laughing at what Jinyoung said,” Bambam says. “That never happens. Most of their conversations are just bickering, or professional work stuff. This is odd behavior.”</p>
<p>    Yugyeom grins mischievously. “They’re in love. Jaebeom secretly likes Jinyoung’s snooty side and Jinyoung thinks Jaebeom’s a dumbass but like, a hot dumbass, you know? I caught him staring once while we were on lunch break and he avoided me the rest of the day.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae snorts. “Sounds like Jinyoung.”</p>
<p>    “Do you think we should set them up?” Bambam proposes. The gears are already turning in his head with some sneaky plan.</p>
<p>    Yugyeom shakes his head viciously. “We’d get fired. It’d be Jaebeom’s last straw. As much as I hate seeing them argue all the time, I’d rather keep my job.”</p>
<p>    “I think it’ll happen in time,” Jackson says wisely. “Give them their space and they’ll realize their feelings in no time. Like those dramas.”</p>
<p>    “Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a drama, working here,” Youngjae adds with a laugh. </p>
<p>    “Right? I get that feeling too.” Jackson smiles and his eyes curve up. He’s definitely the kind of person to take enjoyment in a lively workplace. This is the job for Jackson Wang, Youngjae has no doubt.</p>
<p>    Youngjae can feel Yugyeom glancing between the two of them before the kitchen doors open and Jinyoung and Jaebeom try to walk past the group of them blocking the doorway. </p>
<p>    “For god’s sake, why are you all standing in the doorway?” Jinyoung mutters, giving Jackson a playful shove. </p>
<p>    “We’re having a chat,” Jackson sings as he walks back to his station.</p>
<p>    “About what?” he demands.</p>
<p>    “Nothing.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom gives Yugyeom and Bambam each a light slap on the back. “How’s the cooking coming?”</p>
<p>    “Great,” Yugyeom answers sarcastically.</p>
<p>    “We’re going to have a holiday rush next week, so don’t get lazy before then,” Jaebeom reminds them.</p>
<p>    “What holiday?” Youngjae asks, confused. Christmas was over a month ago, so…</p>
<p>    “Valentine’s Day,” he answers with slight bitterness. “The young couples will be in here all day. Mark and Jinyoung know how it is.”</p>
<p>    “It’s fucking hell!” Jinyoung yells out from the storage room.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom chuckles. “Exactly. No one likes working that day.” He gives Yugyeom a glance. “Maybe you could invite your boyfriend over.”</p>
<p>    Yugyeom looks surprised that Jaebeom is actually approving of Chan coming to the cafe for once, while Bambam and Jackson both look appalled. “Really?”</p>
<p>    “Yeah, sure. I know you’re leaving early for your date with him, but he can stop by in the morning if you want.” Jaebeom shrugs.</p>
<p>    “Aww, hyung is nice today,” Yugyeom teases, wrapping an awkward Jaebeom in a hug.</p>
<p>    Jackson starts whining. “You should be rewarding the rest of us. It’s the day of single people <em>suffering,</em> Jaebeom. He is not one of us.”</p>
<p>    “That’s not my fault.” </p>
<p>    “Hey!”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung rolls his eyes as he walks past, guiding Youngjae back to the front part of the cafe. “Come on, let’s get back to work. The kitchen is too high energy sometimes.”</p>
<p>    That is always true, because later Youngjae walks through to get more napkins and he overhears Bambam joking about violating health codes.</p>
<p>    As Valentine’s Day approaches, there are several attempts by Bambam and Jackson to arrange a staff party. All attempts are shot down by Jaebeom. “We are coworkers, we will not be having parties.”</p>
<p>    However, after much pestering, Jaebeom gives in. “But no alcohol,” he reasons. Youngjae doubts that’ll happen, knowing them. In any case, Jackson and Bambam plan to have the party the day after Valentine’s Day since Yugyeom wouldn’t be able to attend on the day. It’ll be held in Jackson’s apartment. </p>
<p>    One fateful day, just a few before Valentine’s Day, Jinyoung is pacing around the cafe. He peers out the front windows with his phone gripped tightly against his ear as it rings. Not seeing anything, he turns around and stalks back into the kitchen. “Are you sure he hasn’t texted you?” he asks Bambam, who also looks worried as he loiters around his station.</p>
<p>    Yugyeom hasn’t shown up for work yet, and he hasn’t called or texted anyone about it. Naturally, Jinyoung has worked himself up into a panic over his safety. He keeps trying to call him, to no avail.</p>
<p>    “I’m sure he’s fine, he’s probably running late,” Jaebeom reasons as Jinyoung walks past him again. </p>
<p>    “Then why isn’t he answering my calls?” Jinyoung snaps. </p>
<p>    Jaebeom huffs, trying to herd Jinyoung back into the kitchen. “I understand you’re worried, but don’t stress out the customers-”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung faces him with an icy glare and breaks away. His moody aura carries with him back into the kitchen.</p>
<p>    Youngjae watches as Jaebeom lets out a big sigh and follows after him.</p>
<p>    At this point, they’re all gathered in the kitchen, discussing where Yugyeom must be. </p>
<p>    “Should we call the police?” Jackson asks, crossing his arms. “He’s missing, isn’t he?”</p>
<p>    “He might just be asleep,” Jaebeom reminds him.</p>
<p>    Bambam thinks for a second. “I could stop by his apartment and see if he’s home. I have a key to his place.”</p>
<p>    “Of course you do,” Mark mutters. “You could’ve mentioned that ten minutes ago.”</p>
<p>    “I thought he might still-”</p>
<p>    Their voices hush as the back door opens and Yugyeom walks in with tears streaming down his cheeks. His sobs echo in the kitchen as he makes his way straight into Bambam’s arms.</p>
<p>    “Yugyeom! What’s wrong?” Jinyoung asks, eyes wide as he watches him cry. All of them are equally startled and Jaebeom looks like he doesn’t know what to do.</p>
<p>    Between deep breaths, Yugyeom manages to say, “Chan… Chan broke up with me.”</p>
<p>    “Oh, Yugyeom…” Youngjae says, his heart breaking a little as he sees how upset the kid is. </p>
<p>    Jinyoung starts rubbing his back, frowning. “I’m so sorry. You’ve been together a while, huh?”</p>
<p>    Yugyeom gives him a nod. “Six months. He said… he said he cheated on me and he wants to be with the other guy.”</p>
<p>    There’s several gasps in the room, and Bambam instantly hugs him tighter. </p>
<p>    “Do you have his address?” Jaebeom asks. Everyone looks at him, and he looks pissed off and dead serious. Youngjae thinks for a moment that Jaebeom might actually go to his house and punch the guy in the face and emotionally prepares to deescalate that kind of situation.</p>
<p>    “I’ll join you,” Jackson adds. “God, fuck that guy. He was always so annoying. And he’s a cheater. Pick a fucking struggle.”</p>
<p>    “We’re not letting Chan back in here,” Jinyoung decides. “We can put his name on the blacklist.”</p>
<p>    “We have a blacklist?” Youngjae asks.</p>
<p>    “Yeah, we’ve got a few of Mark’s fangirls and some teenagers on it,” Jaebeom answers nonchalantly. </p>
<p>    That’s new information for Youngjae. The more you know.</p>
<p>    In the aftermath of Yugyeom’s devastating breakup, he gets to work after an hour of comfort from Jinyoung and Bambam and the workday goes on more somberly.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom and Jinyoung spend a portion of it out in the front, evidently trying to make more design decisions.</p>
<p>    “I was thinking we could paint that wall a bright color. Like an accent wall, you know?” Jaebeom suggests, gesturing to the medieval cat wall. He shows Jinyoung a few palettes of bright colors on the iPad.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung frowns. “We can’t afford that much paint.”</p>
<p>    “What do you mean? Are we really that short on funds this month?” </p>
<p>    “Jackson’s mixer and the new chairs took a chunk out of the budget, Jaebeom,” Jinyoung says under his breath. “You need to hold off on spending until we make more money. You get carried away with these things too easily.”</p>
<p>    “I do not!” Jaebeom protests.</p>
<p>    <em>There goes the peace between them</em>, Youngjae thinks morbidly as he finishes another drink. With a glance at Mark, he can tell they’re both thinking the same thought.</p>
<p>    Jackson walks through the kitchen doors, straight to the two standing in the middle of the dining area. “I’m short on baking powder,” he announces.</p>
<p>    “How are you short on baking powder? You just got more of it,” Jinyoung points out.</p>
<p>    “I’ve been doing a lot more baking lately. I’m perfecting some recipes,” Jackson says defensively.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung raises an eyebrow. “Are these recipes… <em>for</em> someone, Jackson? I know how you get. I remember last time.” His words must be in reference to Jackson baking a croissant for Mark as a gesture of flirtation.</p>
<p>    “I just need baking powder.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung’s eyes widen a little more. Jaebeom interjects, “Do you need it now?”</p>
<p>    “Yes.”</p>
<p>    He sighs. “Fine, just take my credit card. We’ll factor it into the budget later.” He digs the card out of his wallet and hands it to Jackson, who takes it gleefully. </p>
<p>    Jackson then meets Youngjae’s eyes. “Youngjae, come on, let’s go to the store down the street.”</p>
<p>    “Wait, Jackson, you’re not a child, you can go alone,” Jaebeom protests, but the fight in his eyes decreases as Youngjae walks over excitedly.</p>
<p>    “It’s just down the street. Besides, we’re slow right now. Mark and Jinyoung can handle the coffee,” Jackson points out, taking Youngjae’s hand and leading him out of the cafe without another word.</p>
<p>    <em>Jackson’s hands are soft.</em> Youngjae can’t imagine how pink his face is right now. Really, he’s a big mess. How dare Jackson Wang try and make himself cuter than he already is?</p>
<p>    Unfortunately, Jackson lets go of his hand as soon as they make it onto the sidewalk. “Let’s go get the baking powder really quick and then we can make a detour,” he decides brightly.</p>
<p>    “Detour?” Youngjae echoes.</p>
<p>    Jackson nods, refusing to answer him the entire time they’re in the shop purchasing the baking powder with Jaebeom’s shiny purple credit card. </p>
<p>    They wind up in an ice cream parlor, five minutes later. Jackson gives him a big smile. “You’re not lactose intolerant, are you?”</p>
<p>    “No, I’m not, but-”</p>
<p>    “What Jaebeom won’t know won’t hurt him,” Jackson assures him as he gets his own credit card out.</p>
<p>    “Jackson!”</p>
<p>    “Youngjae, calm down, it’s my treat,” he says, laughing. “For being my favorite coworker.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae takes <em>far</em> too much enjoyment from being called Jackson’s favorite coworker. He can’t help but sit, dazed, at a table with Jackson sipping from his strawberry milkshake.</p>
<p>    He feels like a teenager on a date, and the thought makes him blush. </p>
<p>    “Do you have any plans?” Jackson asks, out of the blue.</p>
<p>    “What kind of plans?”</p>
<p>    “<em>Valentine’s Day</em> plans. It’s in three days, you know.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae blinks. “Oh. I almost forgot.” He chuckles. “Yeah, I don’t have plans, in case you couldn’t tell.”</p>
<p>    “Mm, me neither,” he responds, twirling his straw in his cup. </p>
<p>    There’s some kind of charged energy as a result of Jackson’s words. It makes Youngjae’s face hot, because if this were a movie, it’d be the moment where one of them suggests they make plans together, then. In an ideal world, it’d be when Jackson asks him on a date. </p>
<p>    But before Youngjae can wrap his head around that idea, Jackson’s phone buzzes. “Shit, Jaebeom’s asking where we are. We gotta go.”</p>
<p>    When they both walk in with milkshake cups, Jaebeom gives them a withering look. “Is this what I’m paying you two for?” </p>
<p>    “They probably left to get away from your ass for five minutes,” Jinyoung says, almost too quiet for Jaebeom to hear, but he does, because he rolls his eyes the next moment.</p>
<p>    To be honest, Youngjae isn’t enthused to get back to work. He’d rather stay in the chilly ice cream parlor with the pastry chef. But Jackson gives him a side-hug before they start working again, so that gives him a little more energy.</p>
<p>    The day doesn’t go without more drama, though. At closing, Jinyoung is on his laptop, his screen on some employment site. It catches Jaebeom’s eye as he walks by and he freezes, seeing the job offers listed on the screen.</p>
<p>    “Jinyoung… Are you quitting?”</p>
<p>    He jolts in his seat, stammering. “Um, no, I’m not-”</p>
<p>    “You can be honest,” Jaebeom hisses coldly. “I’ll find out anyway. The sooner I know the better.”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung stands up from his chair so fast the legs of it drag loudly against the ground. “Im Jaebeom, I can’t fucking believe you. Do you really think I’d just up and leave after I put so much time and effort into this place?” he counters. “And the only thing you think about is replacing me?” His words are sharp, and Jaebeom has no reply as Jinyoung closes his laptop makes his harsh exit. </p>
<p>    Youngjae thinks that Jinyoung might have been looking for his replacement, or getting ready to start putting up a new offer. He sighs, glancing down at the counter he’s cleaning, his mind full.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    That night, Youngjae checks his bank account. He finds that his pay for the previous weeks cover all the costs for his father’s treatment, finally, and he breathes a sigh of relief. That debt won’t be hanging over him any longer.</p>
<p>    He realizes, too, that he no longer needs the cafe job. No longer does he have to be a shitty barista.</p>
<p>    There’s a moment of reluctance that Youngjae quickly pushes away. He doesn’t need any second thoughts about this. The plan was to quit when he has the money, and that time is now.</p>
<p>    The next morning, Youngjae walks straight to Jaebeom’s office, where he’s currently hunched over the desk at his old plastic chair, typing at his laptop. Biting his lip, he places the envelope on his desk beside it. </p>
<p>    Jaebeom glances at him, confused. “What’s this?” He takes the envelope and opens it slowly. He reads the first few lines before dropping it. “Youngjae, you’re <em>quitting?</em>”</p>
<p>    Unfortunately, Yugyeom was in earshot, since Jaebeom’s office door was wide open. “Youngjae’s quitting?” he yells out.</p>
<p>    He cringes. <em>Maybe I should’ve closed the door,</em> he realizes as the news makes its way through everyone in the cafe in seconds.</p>
<p>    “Are you really quitting?” Jackson asks, his mouth round in a small “o.” His expression seems to drip with disappointment, and it shoves a knife into Youngjae’s heart. He didn’t account for this, for anyone to have that kind of reaction. It hurts most coming from Jackson.</p>
<p>    “You just got here!” Mark adds, shocked.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom looks at Jinyoung accusingly. “Why don’t you look surprised? Did you know about this?”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung, who had been gnawing on his bottom lip, nods. “Youngjae told me awhile back. I promised not to tell.”</p>
<p>    “I didn’t want to tell you all straight away,” Youngjae confesses. “I wanted to be welcomed here as if I’d be staying longer… but I guess that’s a little cruel, huh… I’m sorry. I… I only took this job because I needed to pay off my father’s medical bills.”</p>
<p>    The silence in the room is palpable, before Jaebeom speaks. “I understand, Youngjae. We’re glad to have you here, but if you have a separate path to go, we’ll support you.”</p>
<p>    “Thank you,” Youngjae says weakly. “I’ll work for two more weeks.”</p>
<p>    The mini-gathering in Jaebeom’s office dissolves as Youngjae answers a few of their questions. No, he doesn’t know what job he’s going to take next, no, he doesn’t secretly hate any of them. </p>
<p>    He’s glad, really, that they don’t seem to be extremely upset. Except for Jackson, who has the expression of a kicked puppy as he rolls out dough. </p>
<p>    He recovers after a few more visits to the front of the cafe where he has very important conversations with Youngjae about his favorite pastry flavors. He has no idea why Jackson suddenly has this rejuvenated energy, but he isn’t going to complain. Jackson’s brightness is his favorite part of the day.</p>
<p>    “What are your opinions on frosting?” Jackson questions. “Sweet, fluffy, thick?”</p>
<p>    “Um, I like light frosting. Any flavor,” Youngjae answers, unsure of the correct baking terminology but he’s sure Jackson will understand what he’s getting at.</p>
<p>    “Cool, same.” After a brief pause, he leaves for the kitchen.</p>
<p>    Mark watches him leave thoughtfully, but says nothing about it.</p>
<p>    The day is pretty quiet, considering Jinyoung and Jaebeom have not spoken to each other and are actively avoiding each other since last night’s argument. Any time one of them sees the other, they’ll walk the complete opposite way. It’s pretty obvious they don’t want to encounter each other.</p>
<p>    At closing, as they’re all cleaning up, Yugyeom pipes up, “We should just have the Valentines’ Day party on Valentines’ Day. Since my plans are cancelled, anyway.”</p>
<p>    “Great idea. It’ll cheer you up,” Bambam agrees. “Party Planning Partner, what do you think?”</p>
<p>    “Sure!” Jackson says enthusiastically. “I’m flexible. We can make this work. Everyone else has got to be free.”</p>
<p>    “You assume we’re all single and lonely,” Mark states.</p>
<p>    “It’s not like you have a date and can prove me wrong,” Jackson points out, grinning. “Anyway, I’ll see you all tomorrow!”</p>
<p>    Youngjae gets into his car, thinking absent-minded thoughts about Jackson, when his heart drops. His car isn’t starting.</p>
<p>    He starts panicking, but before he can make any well thought-out decision, he gets back out of his car and jogs over to where Jackson’s car sits, having not yet left the parking lot. Jackson rolls down the window for him, and Youngjae just asks, “Can you drive me home? My car won’t start.”</p>
<p>    “Oh, yeah, absolutely.” He unlocks the door. “Get in.”</p>
<p>    Jackson’s car has the new car smell even though it’s a years-old model. Very clean and soothing. It’s complete with the very chill music he’s got playing on the speakers.</p>
<p>    Youngjae is mildly disappointed to leave when Jackson pulls up at his apartment building. “Thank you for driving me. I’m sorry about the inconvenience,” he apologizes.</p>
<p>    “It’s no problem! I don’t live that far away.” Jackson gives him a reassuring smile. “I can pick you up in the morning, too. Don’t worry.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae is about to object, but he just gives a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Jackson.”</p>
<p>    “Stop thanking me and go get some rest. It’s been a long day,” Jackson advises. He waves to Youngjae as he gets out of the car, and that image is stuck in Youngjae’s head the rest of the day.</p>
<p>    For a moment, he regrets writing that resignation letter. He’s going to miss working there with Jackson and getting to see him everyday.</p>
<p>    Can’t take it back now, though. He’d already made the decision.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    The sun shines brightly on the horizon as Youngjae trudges out to Jackson’s car that morning. Somehow, Jackson is brighter than ever, giving him a big, toothy smile. “Good morning. Long time no see,” he jokes.</p>
<p>    Youngjae laughs a little, but he’s still incredibly tired. He yawns. “I don’t know if I’ll make it through this crazy shift.”</p>
<p>    “Oh, yeah, it’s your first really busy day, isn’t it? V-Day is crazy, I swear. You might want to step into the kitchen sometimes if Mark and Jinyoung start yelling to each other.”</p>
<p>    “I’ll keep that in mind.” He cringes as he imagines the coffee counter in complete chaos. He hopes that maybe the amount of couples go down this year or something.</p>
<p>    He and Jackson walk into the cafe together. As they enter the kitchen, they notice it’s empty except-</p>
<p>    Jackson lets out a scream.</p>
<p>    Near a counter, Jaebeom and Jinyoung are <em>kissing</em>. Jaebeom’s hands are cupping Jinyoung’s face and Jinyoung’s hands are gripping Jaebeom’s shirt near his shoulders as they kiss slowly. They are so unaware of their presence, so peaceful until Jackson screamed and startled them apart. Their faces are red as hell.</p>
<p>    “What happened in here!” Jackson exclaims. “You two… <em>kissing?</em>”</p>
<p>    “Shut up,” Jinyoung mumbles, red-faced and wobbly. He takes another step away from Jaebeom. “Go get ready to work. It’s a busy day today.” With that, he practically runs to the coffee counter.</p>
<p>    Which leaves Jaebeom behind, blushing and smiling like an idiot.</p>
<p>    “What happened?” Yugyeom presses after walking in the door seconds before. “Why does Jaebeom-hyung look like that?”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom glances at the cardboard box they just now noticed, sitting near Jaebeom’s office door. “Jinyoung bought me a new desk chair. Half of it was paid for by the budget, which was why he was being such a bitch about me buying new things this week. The other half he paid for himself… I can’t believe him.”</p>
<p>    “Aww, a chair to replace the piece of plastic you sit in every day?” Jackson coos.</p>
<p>    “Yeah. I didn’t even know he noticed. And I certainly never noticed him ordering it… it just arrived this morning. I confronted him about it, and he told me everything, and…” he trails off, the smile returning.</p>
<p>    “And what?” Yugyeom demands.</p>
<p>    Jackson grins. “<em>And then</em> Jaebeom kissed him. Because they took this long to realize they actually care about each other.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom rolls his eyes as he rubs the back of his neck and glances around. “Um, well. Time to work, I guess. Right? Yes.”</p>
<p>    “Someone’s flustered after kissing his crush on Valentine’s Day~” Yugyeom teases him in a sing-song voice. “Plus, you work with him. You’re going to see him every day.”</p>
<p>    “Huh. I am, aren’t I?” Jaebeom stares off into space. Seems like he hadn’t considered that part. His blush deepens, perhaps with nervousness this time.</p>
<p>    “Plus you should ask him out! It’s Valentine’s Day. You have to,” Yugyeom says with an exaggerated tone.</p>
<p>    At that moment, Bambam enters the building, panting as he lugs a case of drinks to the refrigerator. “Who is<em> who</em> asking out?” he asks after putting the drinks away.</p>
<p>    “Oh, you missed it. In short, our lovely boss had a romantic moment with the co-manager in the kitchen before Youngjae and I walked in~” Jackson fills him in, his eyes shining with the gossip while Jaebeom still looks like he’s malfunctioning.</p>
<p>    “It was kind of cute,” Youngjae adds.</p>
<p>    Bambam’s eyes widen as he realizes what Jackson means. “Oh! You and Jinyoung…?”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom nods, laughing a little, “Yes, b-”</p>
<p>    “It’s about time,” Bambam mutters. “We all kind of wondered when this would happen, you know. I’m glad you came to your senses.” He pats Jaebeom’s shoulder as he walks past and begins prepping for the work day.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom looks a little stunned. “Was it really that obvious?”</p>
<p>    “Yes,” all of them say at the same time. Jackson adds, “As Jinyoung’s best friend, I have a sixth sense for this kind of thing.”</p>
<p>    He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, <em>okay.</em>”</p>
<p>    Youngjae laughs. Honestly, this was a pleasant start to a potentially chaotic day, and for that he is glad.</p>
<p>    Jinyoung is needed in the barista role for the majority of the day so he can’t help Jaebeom with managerial duties like he normally does. So, inevitably, Jaebeom comes up front a few times in the day to chat but its mostly him blushing and trying to form complete, intelligible sentences while Youngjae and Mark try not to eavesdrop. Which is hard, considering the cafe is only so big, and Jinyoung doesn’t have time to flirt with Jaebeom.</p>
<p>    “Your… your outfit is cute today, you know. I mean, it always is. Button-up white shirts look really good on you,” Jaebeom tells him. “You suit a professional look.”</p>
<p>    “Is that why you hired me? You thought I was attractive in business clothes?” Jinyoung teases him as Mark slides him another cup. </p>
<p>    Jaebeom instantly flusters. “No- no! I hired you because… because I, in all honesty, would not be able to keep this cafe running without you. I really needed someone who knew what they were doing, and you fit the bill.”</p>
<p>    “You’re lucky to have me,” Jinyoung says, his eyes practically sparkling as he looks up at Jaebeom. </p>
<p>    “I am,” he replies. “... Thank you for tolerating me.” There’s a lot of unspoken words there, probably regarding the fact that they’ve been at odds with each other for months. </p>
<p>    Jinyoung smirks. “You’re hot and a dork, Jaebeom. That’s basically my ideal type; Jackson can confirm it.” As Jaebeom blushes (again), Jinyoung smacks his arm with a towel. “Now go away so I can actually make coffee. We can talk later.” He winks, causing Jaebeom to trip as he tries to walk away.</p>
<p>    “Jesus, Jinyoung, you really have an effect on him,” Mark mutters once he’s gone. “I heard he kissed you?”</p>
<p>    Jinyoung nods smugly. “I bought him a desk chair because his other one is shit and he always complained about back pain so I thought I’d fix the problem. His reaction was really cute. Plus he’s a good kisser so that’s a bonus.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae assumes the two will still bicker like they used to, just in a less hostile way and in a more couple way. That will definitely make working here more tolerable. </p>
<p>    Though, he supposes he won’t be working here much longer so it doesn’t have to be on his radar.</p>
<p>    It’s a sad thought, especially when Jackson comes over for a quick chat. “It’s so damn busy in the kitchen. Yugyeom and Bam have been kind of flirty and it’s really jarring, like I’m supposed to focus on baking and not their stupid dialogue,” he rambles. “I can’t take many breaks because I have so much to bake today. Jaebeom told me I have five minutes in total as extra break time apart from lunch break, so I have to go.”</p>
<p>    Just like that, Jackson’s gone again, leaving Youngjae laughing. <em>He spent a portion of his precious five minutes with me,</em> he thinks as he takes another order. <em>I’m touched.</em></p>
<p>    They all wrap up the busy shift together as they’re all carpooling to Jackson’s apartment for their Valentine’s Day party. Jackson has massive amounts of pastries in containers that he carries out to Jinyoung’s car. Bambam takes the drinks, which may or may not be alcoholic, to Jaebeom’s car, and Yugyeom provides a random assortment of extra food they made over the course of the day.</p>
<p>    “I’ve got a couple containers of water and hand sanitizer in my car too, and…” Jinyoung says, going over a mental list in his head of things they might need, just as they’re about to go. </p>
<p>    But Jaebeom interrupts him. “Relax. It’s a party but we’re just going to eat food at Jackson’s house. You can take a break from being the assistant manager for once.”</p>
<p>    His eyes light up. “Assistant manager?” That was never Jinyoung’s official title, but it may as well have been. This is the first time Jaebeom has acknowledged him as such.</p>
<p>    “Yup,” he confirms with a gentle smile. “You do nearly as much as I do. So it’s time for your break.”</p>
<p>    They all divide themselves into Jaebeom’s and Jinyoung’s cars through a game of rock paper scissors. Youngjae ends up in Jaebeom’s car with Mark, which seems like a pretty calm drive compared to the other car. Yugyeom’s already calling passenger seat and control over the music in Jinyoung’s car.</p>
<p>    On the drive, Mark glances at Youngjae with a little smirk. “Excited?”</p>
<p>    “Yeah, why?” Youngjae asks, a little surprised by Mark’s enthusiasm.</p>
<p>    “It’s your first party with the Sunrise Cafe crew. We’re pretty lively. You should have high expectations.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom interrupts, “But don’t think we’re having a rave in Jackson’s apartment, because we’re not. I told Bam to not bring alcohol so it should be as tame as it gets. Your entertainment will be our own personalities.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae doesn’t know what he expected Jackson’s apartment to look like when he gets there, but it’s a cozy place. He’s got photos of his family hung up in frames and he has some rather unique rugs on the floor and a few blankets near the sofa.</p>
<p>    “Welcome to my home. This is where I am when I’m not working,” he says, setting down the food on the table. “I think Jaebeom has been here a couple times, and of course Jinyoung’s been here, but it’s new for everyone else.”</p>
<p>    Yugyeom makes himself at home at Jackson’s dining table. “I’m fucking starving,” he whines, and at his request, they sit down to eat.</p>
<p>    Youngjae is not at all surprised when it turns out to be a calm but amusing evening. Especially with the new couple and their weird flirting and Jackson’s insistence on teasing them whenever he can. And Yugyeom and Bambam’s discussion of what they’d do if they weren’t in the food industry (Yugyeom thinks Bambam would make a decent stripper). Plus, Mark already got the wine out, but Jaebeom didn’t attempt to stop him at that point.</p>
<p>    They migrate to Jackson’s sofa with the pastries after they’re done with their meal. Jaebeom, Jinyoung, Mark, and Bambam squeeze onto the sofa together while Yugyeom elects to sit in the chair and Youngjae and Jackson sit on the floor at the coffee table. Yugyeom takes this opportunity to scroll through Netflix to find something cooking-related.</p>
<p>    Mark, who has his refilled wine glass at his lips, says, “I doubt there’s a show about baristas. You all have your baking shows and cooking shows but no one cares about the people who make cool designs in your coffee.”</p>
<p>    “Go and pitch Netflix a show idea then,” Jinyoung says bluntly. “There’s nothing interesting about our job. What are they going to do, give the contestants latte art challenges?”</p>
<p>    He shrugs. “I’d watch it.”</p>
<p>    Jackson rolls his eyes at the conversation going on at the sofa. He glances at Youngjae and then back at his container of pastries, as if remembering something. He reaches in and takes out a cupcake with fluffy yellow frosting and holds it out for Youngjae to take. “I made this for you. You said you liked light frosting, right?”</p>
<p>    The conversations all die out at that moment. Youngjae stares at the offered cupcake as he remembers that Jackson bakes for people… as a way to flirt.</p>
<p>    Everyone else is slack-jawed and waiting in anticipation. </p>
<p>    Youngjae glances up at Jackson, who has the cutest fucking smile, and back down at the artfully made cupcake which is an offering of potential romance. His heart beats so damn hard over a <em>cupcake.</em></p>
<p>    He takes it, because what else is he going to do? Reject Jackson Wang, the guy he’s had a huge crush on for forever? Absolutely not. </p>
<p>    “Thank you,” Youngjae says softly and Bambam immediately whistles.</p>
<p>    To an outsider, the whole scene must appear bizarre, but everyone there is in on the joke, so it makes perfect sense for everyone to start teasing Jackson about the symbolic love confession.</p>
<p>    “At least this time Youngjae didn’t reject you like Mark did,” Yugyeom sings, gleeful to bring up past memories.</p>
<p>    “Oh, god, don’t remind me,” Jackson huffs. “That was just my Mark-crush phase that we all had. My Youngjae-crush lasted more than a week.”</p>
<p>    Youngjae smiles at this, happy to know that Jackson experienced some of the same sort of feeling that he did, and it wasn’t just him being stupid.</p>
<p>    Fueled by wine, Mark turns to Youngjae. “If this is honesty hour, then you should probably know that I thought you were cute when you first got here but Jackson approached me and told me to back off because he wanted his chance with the ‘cute new barista.’”</p>
<p>    Youngjae’s cheeks flush. <em>There’s his explanation for that.</em> He looks at Jackson, who sheepishly nods. “I didn’t want to compete with Mark Tuan.”</p>
<p>    Jaebeom takes a long sip of his drink. “When I started this cafe I didn’t think it’d be a hub for romance. This place is cursed.”</p>
<p>    “I think you mean blessed,” Jinyoung corrects. </p>
<p>    Later, Jackson pulls Youngjae aside into the kitchen, out of the others’ earshot. He looks so soft today, in a hoodie with fluffy hair. <em>I’m getting distracted.</em></p>
<p>    “I hope you didn’t mind them teasing us. I really do like you a lot, and I wanted to let you know as soon as I could,” he confesses. “I think you’re a very sweet, bright person and my job has been more enjoyable with your presence at the cafe… you just naturally make people happy.” He laughs a cute, tiny laugh. “If you let me, I’d like to go on dates with you. A lot of them.”</p>
<p>    <em>My fragile heart.</em></p>
<p>    “I’d love to date you. I’m free whenever you are,” Youngjae says cheerfully. He’s willing to clear any plans for a date with Jackson.</p>
<p>    Jackson reacts with a grin. “Great! I’ll let you know then.” He lets out a breath as he looks at Youngjae, a little mystified. “You’re so cute.” His gaze remains for a few seconds before he smiles again. “I’m not going to kiss you in my kitchen, don’t worry. You can look forward to our date for that~”</p>
<p>    The mere thought of that causes Youngjae’s face to heat up, but Jackson just walks away knowing the impact of his words on Youngjae and doing nothing about it.<em> Dating him will be an adventure.</em></p>
<p>    By the time the party’s over, a few hours have passed. Jaebeom and Jinyoung are asleep on the sofa, Jinyoung’s head on Jaebeom’s shoulder. Mark is wine drunk and playing card games with those who are awake, including Yugyeom and Bambam who have gravitated toward each other throughout the evening and are sitting on each other’s lap.</p>
<p>    Everyone drives home safely (or is driven, in Mark’s case), and Youngjae spends most of his time in his apartment laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the moment in which Jackson offered him the cupcake. Truthfully, it’s a strange confession, but knowing Jackson, it’s sweet and Youngjae won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.</p>
<p>    In fact, that night, in his tired, lovesick delusion, he makes a very monumental decision.</p>
<p>    The next morning upon returning to work, he makes his way straight to Jaebeom’s office. Jaebeom is sitting his newly gifted desk chair and appears to be texting on his phone when Youngjae drops another envelope on his desk.</p>
<p>    Jaebeom glances up at him. “You can’t quit twice, Youngjae.” He opens the envelope and pulls out the paper inside, giving it an odd look. “What… Is this your resume?”</p>
<p>    “Yep.”</p>
<p>    He’s silent for a few seconds, before it clicks and he bursts out laughing. “Are you reapplying?”</p>
<p>    Youngjae nods brightly. He had the epiphany that this job has made him the happiest that any job has ever made him, and he’s really not <em>that</em> bad of a barista. He’ll live.</p>
<p>    “Well, I’ll have to talk to Jinyoung,” he teases. “See how you stack up against all the other competition.” </p>
<p>    That is Jaebeom-talk for “you still have your job” and in short, Youngjae is gleeful. </p>
<p>Because being a barista was never in the life plan but neither was meeting a cute pastry chef with an odd way of flirting. And Youngjae has a feeling he’s got a <em>lot</em> of pastries in his future.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Leave a comment and let me know what you think!<br/>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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